Farms use feed lines to move feed from feed bins to livestock feeding stations. A flexible auger feed line system is a common feed line system used to feed livestock. In this system a flexible auger is operably positioned within a flexible pipe (e.g. polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe). A motor is connected to the flexible auger to rotate the auger and move feed through the pipe to the feed stations.
The feed flow through a flexible auger feed line system may be rated with a nominal feed flow rate. A manufacturer of the flexible auger feed line system, for example, may identify the nominal feed flow rate for when the feed line is full and the auger drive is on. However, it is difficult to monitor the amount of feed flowing through the feed lines. For example, feed may “bridge” in the feed bin, such that the feed lines are not moving feed at full capacity.
The feed may be “mixed” feed where the particular mixture is intended to meet particular needs of the livestock. For example, growth charts have been proposed that attempt to identify the appropriate feed mixture for various growth stages of the livestock. For example, a large feed mill may mix a batch of feed, and then transport the batch or a portion of the batch to the farm site. A batch of feed may be mixed on farm by statically weighing ingredients to provide the appropriate ratios of ingredients, and then mixing the ingredients together.
For some time, livestock producers have sought a way to mix feed and/or apply micro-ingredients easily on-farm rather than having them pre-mixed in batches, reducing waste of these valuable products by targeting them more effectively and reducing or eliminating the problem of having left-over feed mixture which cannot or should not be fed to the next batch of animals to be fed. Today, producers must either vacuum this left-over feed out of bins or waste it on the next group of animals which do not require the product.
Micro-ingredients may be added to base livestock feed to improve growth performance, control disease, or improve feed efficiency. These ingredients are added to the feed at different inclusion rates based on the manufacturers' certifications or recommendations for optimal efficacy. These ingredients are typically included at rates between 0.25 lb and 10 lb/ton. To date these ingredients have largely been handled by feed mills which use batch mixing systems to add the product to the base feed mix. Feed mills may use a series of micro-ingredient containers suspended on load cells and add one ingredient at a time by measuring loss in weight. Mixes are typically batched up in amounts of three tons or more and loaded on trucks for delivery to feed storage bins on farms. For example, when mixing drugs into feed, mills frequently interrupt production and purge equipment before mixing the next batch.
There is a need to monitor the amount and the make-up of the consumed feed. For example, current regulation in Europe and pending federal legislation in the U.S. on the use of therapeutic drugs in livestock feed are pushing the demand for more precise application of micro-ingredients on-farm. Legislation is also driving the requirement for more thorough process verification in livestock feed mixing and delivery. Producers may soon need to provide auditable evidence of the application of controlled products.
Various on-farm micro-ingredient applicators have been marketed in the past. However, these applicators have not provided satisfactory accuracy in mixing and product inclusion rates. They also have not provided methods to record mixing activities, warnings of low volume levels, or the ability to include product at varying rates in response to changing conditions.